History

As early as the Provincialate of Fr. Joseph Klekamp, SVD Provincial, 1955-56 there was a plan to acquire a property in Tagaytay City. Because of lack of space either the minor or the major seminary of Christ the King had to transfer to outside Manila.
Fr. Klekamp’s idea was taken up by Fr. General Grosse-Kappenberg who,
in April 1957, commanded that hereafter ‘the two departments must be
separated, and that immediately.”

In the Provincial Chapter of 1957, (28 December – 30 December)
held at Christ the King it was resolved, by a vote of 17 to 8, that
“the major department should leave the present Christ the King.” Voting
for the newe site's location was - near Manila, 18 votes; Tagaytay, 7
votes.

The truth was that most of the fathers in Christ the King favored
the major seminarians to remain in Christ the King but Provincial
Kutscher was personally “for the transfer of the major seminary to
Tagaytay because of the mild climate.”

In 1955, a property of 65 hectares in Alfonso, Cavite, was bought with the money obtained from the sale of a 2-hectare
portion of our property in Christ the King. The Rector (1958-64) of
Christ the King, Fr. Alphonse Mildner, vehemently objected to Alfonso
because of its distance and isolation in a province not particularly
known for its peace and order situation. Taytay in Rizal
was considered but abandoned in favor of Tagaytay City just 15
kilometers from Alfonso, 52 kilometers from Manila. The Tagaytay
property was bought in 1962.

It is a dead city for there are very few people living here and very
few houses. Perhaps it’s because of banditry and “hold-ups” which have
occurred not too infrequently in the past. However the place itself is
famous for its cool climate - much cooler than Manila but milder than
Baguio. Indeed, it is a place conducive to prayer, study, and
meditation. And, perhaps, this is one of the reasons why it has been
chosen as the seedbed of the Major Department of the Philippine SVD.
Tagaytay City is also noted for its scenic spots, e.g., the panoramic,
breath-taking view of Taal Lake with its famous volcano standing
majestically in the midst....

On 13 August 1967, the Pope John XXIII Training Center was blessed in the presence of Bishop Casas of Imus and Dean Montemayor, Founder and President of the Federation of Free Farmers.
The beginnings of the Center (18) were rough and the reasons for its
existence were hotly discussed. The Center was more than just a place;
it symbolized the SVD scholastics’ involvement in social action
which was held to be an integral part of religious missionary
formation. Because the Generalate would not finance the construction of
the Center, the scholastics held concerts to raise funds. The barrio apostolate was (9) aimed at the creation of self-sufficient, independent Christian
communities. The Fi’atres’ association with the Federation of Free
Farmers led not only in the establishment of local chapters but also in
the çonscientization process of the farmers. They, the scholastics,
participated in demonstrations for and with the farmers. The 1, 200-
strong farmers’ cooperative (SMSK)(20) in Tagaytay is one direct result
of the education programmes of farmers conducted by the barrio
apostolate.

Guest Seminarians: a central common seminary

Seven Capuchin
seminarians-philosophers joined the SVD classes at the beginning of
school year 1966-67.(21) They were followed the next year by the Franciscans (OFMs) and the major seminarians from the Vicariate Apostolic of Calapan. Subsequently, other houses of formation were established and sent their students to attend lectures and fulfill the academic
requirements for the priestly ministry. But there was a time when the
authorities talked about a central, common seminary. Attempts were made
to describe and define this kind of seminary but for all its beautiful
vision, it did not push through. The attempts, however, reveal the
advantages of being in Tagaytay as well as the thinking of prelates on
priestly formation. One of the protagonists was Bishop Duschak, SVD, of
Calapan.

Similar and related to the question of a common seminary and partly
answering it was the request of the Friars Minor (OFM) to enter Divine
Word Seminary Tagaytay as studentá (seven theologians) and as staff
members (two professors of Exegesis). As Father Provincial Heinemann
presented it, the Franciscans would like to join us to start a common
seminary in the future, since they are convinced that such a seminary
is the only answer to the post-Vatican II demands of seminary
formation. They think of organizing a seminary on a twofold level:
college level and theology level, but they will never be able to do it
alone.

The plan met perfectly the desire that “our Fratres should not stay
for about seven years at Tagaytay.” One center would be Tagaytay; the
other, Franciscan, would be Novaliches, Quezon City, some 20 kilometers north of Manila.

The Generalate’s response (26) manifested no opposition in principle “to such a temporary arrangement” but urged “caution and prudence
as well as a thorough study of all the aspects of such a project.” In
particular, it expressed reservations; firstly, “with regard to whether
the arrangement of another community’s living in the same house would
work out well in the long run”; secondly, on a common seminary at two
different, centers. The same misgivings were clearly voiced by Father
Rector Lehberger. The Tagaytay SVD community then was not the easiest
to handle. He asked the Provincial: “Do you really believe it will be
better with the Franciscans in addition?” (27) All but one of the SVD
professors were for accepting the Franciscantheologians
and their professors. They came to Tagaytay on 29 June 1968. Both they
and the five major seminarians sent by Bishop Duschak (they also
arrived the same day) stayed with the SVDs under the same roof pending
the construction of the Vicariate of Calapan’s Saint Augustine Major Seminary. As of February 1970, negotiations on an OFM-SVD common seminary have bogged down.

The dream of a common seminary did not materialize. It failed to create a consortium
of member religious congregations with shared authority and
responsibility; instead, DWS Tagaytay developed into a cluster of
autonomous affiliated houses of formation. They are the Clerics Regular
of Somasca (CRS), Fil-Mission Seminary (MSP), Focolare School for
Priests, La Salette Seminary (M.S.), St. Augustine Major Seminary
(SASMA), St. Lawrence of Brindisi House of Studies (OFM Cap), San Pablo
Theological Formation House, Society of Our Lady of the Trinity (SOLT),
Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol (TMP), and Workers of Christ the Worker
(WOW). The SVDs committed themselves to providing the academic staff
and facilities. It has remained a mission seminary whose primary
purpose is to prepare missionaries for both the Philippine and foreign
missions. Of the 312 SVD graduates, 100 priests and brothers are now in
foreign lands. A good number of the other 374 non-SVD alumni has also
received foreign assignments. A few students are non-Filipinos; the faculty, in the Society’s tradition, has consistently remained international.

The Oblates of St. Joseph (OSJ) in 2005 the Missionaries of St.
Francis de Sales (MSFS) in 2008) also began sending their seminarians
to DWS to do theological studies.